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Monday, November 14, 2011

Old roads quiz (2) - Bus terminus

I think some of the readers who have been making comments at this blog lately should have no difficulty identifying this place. Hope it triggers more memories for you.

Photo courtesy of Peter Chan

This is a photo of the former Princess Elizabeth Estate School taken in in 2007. Is this the same place as that in the black and white photo? Hope readers can provide more details.

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But how about this one? I think this one is not so easy.

Photo courtesy of Geoffrey Pain. Below is a close up on the ticketing hut - where bus conductors submit their collections and collect their tickets. The words say, in both English and Chinese; "Tay Koh Yat Bus Co. Ltd". The sign on the white bus says "12" and "Shenton Way".

The words on the side of the front bus says; "Paya Lebar Bus Service".

Hi Chun See. It's Paul Warner.The pictures of old buses brought back memories of the doorless bone-shakers that used to billow out black smoke in the days before air-conditioned buses with all the mod cons like televisions.A popular pastime of some of my friends was to collect the old tickets (prices used to start from 10cents) with numbers like 0001 and 1234 particularly sought after.I also recall SBS getting rid of bus conductors and introducing one-man operating services - or OMO as it was known!

Well not bad if after nearly 50 years I can spot a place several thousand of miles away! Pity the pic is not of high enough quality to check out the writing on that stall. I think the green bus does say Paya Lebar on it but I can't read the stall of course - can you?

I can't make out the Chinese words on the stall/hut. But the English words look like Tay Koh Yat Bus Company.

By the way, I just posted another photo of a bus terminus.This one fresh from Russ Wickson. And he provided the answer. But I think it will be too difficult without clues. Still I could be wrong. GMY readers have often surprised me with their knowledge of the old Spore.

It just occured to me that the working conditions for the clerk inside that Bus Ticketing hut must be quite tough; especially on a hot day. Obviously there was no air-con and no trees nearby. In comparison, today's bus terminus' have comfortable air-conditioned offices with canteen nearby.

On page 289 of my copy of the Singapore Guide & Street Directory, 9th edition (March 1969), it lists STC Bus 12 as plying between Shenton Way and Singapore Airport. So those who guessed Paya Lebar Airport should be correct.

It also lists Bus 12A as plying between MacPherson Estate and Shenton Way.

The carpark @Paya Lebar Airport still is around. If you drive to the end until you come to a roundabout, you see straight ahead a sentry post, behind the fence is the same carpark. This carpark served the international departure lounge building - I was told parts of it still around and used by RSAF pilots as briefing room.

The other building that is still around is the former control tower building just behind the fence@roundabout. I think it's 10 storey tall.

Hey! What about that! Your (non) resident expert on spotting bus places is thousands of miles away and can still recognise places from nearly 50 years ago. I even spotted that it had to be some years after my time at Changi which ended in 1962 - when I think the buses were just on hard dirt and under the trees.

Let me analyse how you could have easily guessed the answer to Russ Wickson's photo. (1) The bus terminus at Changi Village is the only one you remember. (2) And guess where Russ Wickson was stationed when he was in Spore? RAF Changi.

Hehee. Lately I have been watching the TV series, Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. Love the show. Only find it a bit difficult to follow the many English characters in each episode.

JATCC, Joint Air Traffic Control JATCC operated by the RAF. Its taks is to liase between civil and military aircraft - giving guidance and ensuring adequate clearence between civil/military aircraft. It takes a lot of time and effort and concentration to maintain the appropriate spacing between aircraft flight levels and lateral spacing.

The open space behind the present RSAF hangers (plus the road to connect Singapore Aerospace hangers to the runway) had many high frequency signal towers and wooden blocks which housed the military equipment.

Chun See, you are quite right. I have no right to be smug but I did even suspect you of setting me up on this one - putting up photos of two places you knew I ought to recognise and seeing if I managed it!

Hi LCS. The 1st picture is confirmed the bus terminus at Princess Elizabeth Estate, and the school is PEES as mentioned by Joanne above. The school was converted to the Red Cross Home (I am not sure if it is still in current use). The SIT block at the corner top right of the photo was Blk 21 Princess Anne Hill. I used to stay in that very unit (No. 126) at the corner.

I have a picture of the same terminus taken from the opposite angle at my blog at this link:-http://hjtann.blogspot.com/2009/07/old-bus-stops-in-singapore.html

Chun See. To your question to Joanne about the green patch in the colored photo, the answer is No. Close but no cigars. The bus terminus was to the right of the green patch. The green patch covers what was then part of the road, Elizabeth Drive. This was a cul-de-sac that ran up the slope and curved right behind Blk 21 and lead to a small car park between Blks 17 and 18 ( 2x SIT 7-storey blocks). The terminus was directly fronting Blk 21 Princess Anne Hill and was of the same length as the block. Unfortunately I do not have a photo of that block.

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